New Zealand for Adventure Racing: GODZone, the Southern Alps, and the Best Training Ground in the Southern Hemisphere

New Zealand has an outsized reputation in adventure racing relative to its five million people. The country has produced teams that have won or podiumed at the Adventure Racing World Championship in disproportionate numbers, and the reason is straightforward: the training terrain New Zealand athletes have in their backyard is essentially the same terrain the world's hardest races put in front of them.

The South Island is the specific draw. The Southern Alps run 500 kilometres down the island's spine, peaking at Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3,724 metres. On either side of the range, the landscape transitions rapidly through river valleys, high-country lakes, beech forest, and glacial moraine. Within the Queenstown-Lakes and Central Otago districts, athletes can access whitewater, mountain trekking, road and off-road cycling, and sea kayaking within short driving distances of two functioning towns.

GODZone: The Race

GODZone Adventure Race runs annually in February or March, rotating its venue across the South Island. The format is a non-stop, unsupported expedition race over roughly 500 to 700 kilometres, completed by mixed-gender teams of four. There is no mandatory rest schedule; teams manage their own sleep. The first team across the line wins.

GODZone typically draws 100 to 120 teams, with international entries from Australia, the UK, the United States, France, and South Africa. The discipline mix rotates with the terrain each year but consistently includes mountain trekking, river paddling (packraft or sea kayak depending on water conditions), road or mountain bike stages, and orienteering with paper maps and compass — GPS is limited to emergency use. Teams carry all food and equipment between checkpoints.

Previous venues have included Fiordland (centred on Te Anau), the Mackenzie Basin around Lake Tekapo, Southland, and the Marlborough region at the top of the South Island. No two GODZone editions use the same course; the route is confidential until the race brief, which is part of the logistical challenge. For current-year entries and qualifying requirements, GODZone opens registrations annually in September at godzone.net.nz. Teams must demonstrate prior multi-day race experience — the race does not accept complete novices.

The Adventure Racing World Championship (ARWC) is a separate series. Teams qualify by winning or placing at regional championships; GODZone serves as the premier qualifier for the Asia-Pacific zone. The ARWC has rotated to venues including Sweden, South Africa, Ecuador, and Spain. New Zealand teams have won the event multiple times.

The Training Terrain: Queenstown and Wanaka

The Queenstown–Wanaka corridor is the primary training base for New Zealand adventure racing teams and the most practical base for international teams building toward GODZone.

Queenstown sits at 310 metres above sea level on the shore of Lake Wakatipu (291 km²), which provides flat-water and light-chop paddling training in a sheltered lake environment. The Remarkables ski area to the southeast has summer access via the Remarkables Access Road — the summit ridge at 1,943 metres gives high-altitude trekking with significant vertical gain from the car park (1,559 m) in a short distance. The Crown Range road north of Queenstown (summit 1,121 m) is the highest sealed road in New Zealand and is used as a cycling interval route. The Queenstown Trail network covers approximately 130 kilometres of purpose-built cycling and walking paths through the Gibbston Valley and Arrow River corridor.

Wanaka, 70 kilometres north of Queenstown via the Crown Range, is quieter, cheaper, and the preferred base for athletes who want proximity to terrain over proximity to restaurants. Lake Wanaka (78 km²) and the adjacent Lake Hawea (141 km²) — connected by a short channel — are the area's primary paddling venues. Both lakes have prevailing afternoon winds that create realistic chop and navigation practice. Lake Hawea's western shore track is a bikepacking-grade route with no road parallel, used by teams for pack-loaded trekking practice.

Roys Peak (1,578 m) above Lake Wanaka is the benchmark local climb: 16 kilometres return, 1,300 metres of elevation gain on a maintained but exposed track. Summer access runs October to May; the track closes August and September for lambing season. Expect summit wind regardless of valley conditions. The standard training use is weighted pack ascent — carrying a 15 to 20 kg pack to the ridge and descending quickly, simulating a trekking transition segment.

The Matukituki River, accessible from the end of Mount Aspiring Road 54 kilometres from Wanaka, provides flat and moving-water sections for packraft drills. Whitewater-specific training for harder river stages requires moving to the Rangitata River (120 km south) or the Waimakariri near Arthur's Pass.

Adventure racing requires four disciplines simultaneously or sequentially without rest. Teams arriving for a training camp in the Wanaka area should structure their weeks to rotate across:

Trek days: Half-day efforts on the Breast Hill Track (1,578 m above Lake Hawea, 24 km return) or the Rob Roy Glacier Track in Mount Aspiring National Park (10 km return, 620 m gain). Full-day efforts crossing from the Matukituki Valley to the Wilkin Valley over the Rabbit Pass (1,900 m) with pack-loads.

Paddle days: Flat-water tempo sessions on Lake Hawea (sea kayak or SUP for stability training); packraft on the lower Matukituki in moving water. Teams building to multi-day paddle stages use the Clutha River (begins at Lake Wanaka's outlet) for extended flat-water distance.

Bike days: Crown Range climb from Wanaka (28 km, 900 m gain) for cycling-specific fitness. The Otago Rail Trail (152 km, Clyde to Middlemarch) is within 45 minutes and provides multi-day bikepacking for teams simulating race-length bike legs.

Navigation: Orienteering New Zealand (orienteering.org.nz) maintains a database of events across the South Island; map-and-compass training days can be arranged informally with local clubs in the Queenstown-Lakes area.

When to Go

The southern hemisphere summer — December through April — is the operational season. February and March are optimal: settled mountain weather, long days (light from 6 am to 9 pm in midsummer), and rivers at manageable levels. The alpine terrain above 1,500 metres holds snow until late November in heavy winters; check conditions before planning high traverses early in the season.

International teams targeting GODZone (typically held in February or March) arrive in December or January for four to six weeks of terrain-specific preparation.

Logistics

Flights: Queenstown Airport (ZQN) receives direct services from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. All other international connections require transiting Auckland (AKL). The Auckland–Queenstown domestic leg takes approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Total travel time from London via Auckland: 26 to 28 hours.

Accommodation: Wanaka has a high proportion of holiday house rentals suited to groups of four; book six or more months ahead for January and February. The small town of Albert Town, immediately north of Wanaka, has rentals with direct lake and cycle trail access. Queenstown has broader hotel inventory at significantly higher prices.

Gear: Torpedo7 (torpedo7.co.nz) has a Queenstown branch and can arrange orders for delivery to accommodation. Packraft hire and tuition is available through operators in the Wanaka area. Mountain bike hire (hardtail and full-suspension) through multiple operators in both towns. Carry your own navigation equipment — quality topo maps of specific areas can be purchased through Land Information New Zealand (linz.govt.nz) or at outdoor retailers in either town.